underscores - wallsocket REVIEW
it came out 9/22 but I JUST found out about it, okay???
I'll admit that I didn't listen to underscores until I saw Fantano wearing the yellow flannel. In the first couple minutes of the review he makes a number of statements about April Grey Hart's music, including that "the hype is real." I had heard the name underscores tossed around in the PC Music discord (apparently she was the special guest at one of the Brooklyn 10th anniversary shows) and there is a remix of one of her tracks (by Umru) on one of the mystery CDs. I rly did enjoy the remix, and the melon man’s review had me curious. I was 6 hours away from clocking out, so I thought "why not" and hit play.
Fantano described the record as "bright" and "in your face" and "hyperpop", and I disagree with literally all of those characterizations. I personally found the music quite sad. Kind of bitter. Desperate. Very edgy. All of these are good qualities for me as far as a record goes. I like music that is tense and actually about something. Unlike most hyperpop, this album is actually about something: class and disillusionment. Lots of trauma on the album. Don't get me wrong, it bangs, but it doesn't feel very "100 gecs" to me. It's not a meme.
It just sounds like rock music. It sounds like my music, tbh. From my self-tittied era. It’s less melodic, less kitsch, faster, and more experimental (there are some ambient sections towards the end.) It's much, much edgier than anything I would write. Reminds me alot of Portland local Saoirse Dream, but mainly just because both of them write lyrics where instead of rhyming two lines they choose not to.1 It really imbues the music with a strong "IDGAF" quality which definitely suits it. Saoirse Dream is much more distinctly hyperpop (because of the Maroon 5 samples), but I could see underscores hitting a kind of similar nerve. That said, Wallsocket is much more "depressed" than any of the music that usually gets called "hyperpop." It's much closer to lo-fi than hyperpop is “supposed” to be imo.
The guitars are brittle and thin. The drums are tight and reserved. The vocals are manicured just enough to feel "raw" even tho it's obviously not. If it wasn't for the autotune you could easily mistake it for any post-punk record. The vocals are sung well but also have a lot of "attitude." They absolutely do something for my loins (I am a lesbian after all.) There's lots of moments where they sound "rough", like the multitracks fall out of sync or a gasp is thrown at the end of a line. There are keyboard-esque synths that pop in every so often (like on the opening track "Cops and Robbers") and some ambient sample manipulation towards the end (along with some strings!) Ultimately, the footprints of a DAW are all over this album despite it’s very strong commitment to lofi and post-punk aesthetics. Tape stop effects and random vocal chops are sprinkled lightly throughout the 50+ minute runtime.
The vocals might honestly be the most compelling part of the album. Not just sonically, but lyrically as well. I'm impressed by her ability to write very directly about real shit. Whether it be literal crimes (Cops and Robbers), being toxic (Locals), having rich friends (Old Money Bitch) or being groomed as a child (Johnny Johnny Johnny), the lyrics are always visceral and thoughtful (if a little bit clunky.) It is always satisfying when art can tackle trauma without being preachy or "wow ur so strong." Not that this is a "concept album" or anything like that.2 There isn't a linear narrative, just a set of overlapping stories which culminate in a quasi-bildungsroman. A vibe which can be taken as seriously or un-seriously as the listener wants to.
Ultimately, wallsocket is an album for the girls. Bad girls, to be clear. Girls that commit fraud, are victims of poverty, and make very poor decisions. Girls that don't know who they are but know that it's rough out here. Indeed, this is the first record coming out of the “hyperpop scene” that’s felt relatable to me since 2015.3 I didn’t get 100 gecs, and I now know A.G. Cook makes too much money to hang out with me. I’m sure April will be joining this “upper echelon” of underground music soon and I really hope she doesn’t stop making music for the brokies. That said, April, if you are reading, you should call me!!!! I promise, I am not just a shiny and shimmery good girl like it might seem! I have a dark side, too!!!
FINAL THOUGHTS: I like it!
BIGGEST GRIPE: Clunky lyrics at points/my own jealousy xD
GOING ON THE SEX PLAYLIST???: A few tracks are for sure.
See “catherine never broke again” and comparing to the opening track of this album. to be clear, it doesn’t happen literally every line which is why it sticks out when it does
Okay apparently it IS a concept album according to a YouTube comment I saw this went completely over my head but also I was at work and prolly didn’t notice. But that’s kind of what I mean by the last line of this paragraph: you can read into the album as much or as little as you want to, and it still slaps either way!
the exception being Saoirse Dream ofc but idk if she even has albums I just really like catherine never broke again